Health Ministry pulls up laboratories for trying to cash in on Zika scare

A day after leading pathology labs and diagnostics chains made announcements of rolling out test kits for the deadly virus, the Union Ministry of Health pulled up private players, saying they cannot cash in on a public health emergency.

The global Zika scare has put the government on alert. A day after leading pathology labs and diagnostics chains made announcements of rolling out test kits for the deadly virus, the Union Ministry of Health pulled up private players, saying they cannot cash in on a public health emergency.

Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), in the Union health ministry, said: "We called upon the private labs making such statements. In the current scenario, all the testing and research has to be done through approval of the government. No firm can cash in on a public health emergency like the Zika virus which has become a sensitive issue across the globe. The health ministry is fully equipped in research and testing of Zika. We are actively working on averting any kind of outbreak in the country."

While Dr Lal Path Labs had reportedly said they were importing test kits for Zika, SRL Diagnostics claimed they are working on new technologies to detect the head-shrinking virus and may come up with tests soon. Quest Diagnostics and Star Imaging are also said to have made similar statements.

The private labs reportedly quoted the cost of test around Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 and said the test will be available by mid-March this year.

The ministry has also summoned Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, which claimed that it has world's first Zika vaccine samples. "We have also summoned Bharat Biotech that has claimed to have the first vaccine for Zika virus in the current scenario when there is no vaccine anywhere in the world. We want to check the authenticity of the claim and why they are announcing it without informing the government," Dr Prasad added.

Firm's claim

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, Dr Krishna Ella from Bharat Biotech said: "The company has two ZikaVac vaccine candidates in development; one is a recombinant vaccine and another inactivated vaccine that has reached the stage of pre-clinical testing in animals."

On Friday, however, most of the private players back-tracked.

Dr Vandana Lal from Lal Path Labs said: "We don't want to talk on this matter. We don't have any tests for Zika virus and we are also not importing any test kits for the same. If at all we plan to do something, we will take the government's prior permission."

Dr BR Das, president (research and innovation) at SRL Diagnostics, too, said the lab currently has no technology for battling Zika. "We however have a robust research and development facility in place, but we will only begin something if the government asks us to. We abide by the government and will only chip into research and technology on Zika if the government tells us," Dr Das told Mail Today.

Guidelines in place

Earlier this week, the ministry had issued guidelines on Zika along with a comprehensive travel advisory. The ministry also said currently, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune have the capacity to provide laboratory diagnosis of Zika in acute febrile stage. These institutions were marked as the apex laboratories to support the investigation and for confirmation of laboratory diagnosis.

"The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will strengthen 10 additional laboratories to expand the scope of laboratory diagnosis. RT-PCR test is the standard test for the disease. As of now, there is no test available for Zika commercially. And we have not recommended any serological tests. Also, there is no vaccine or drug available to prevent or treat Zika virus disease at present," said Dr Prasad.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on February 1, 2016. Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947. WHO has reported 22 countries and territories in Americas from where local transmission of Zika virus has been reported. The disease has the potential for further international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector, a lack of immunity among population in newly affected areas and the high volume of international travel.

As of now, the disease has not been reported in India. However, the mosquito that transmits Zika, namely Aedes aegypti, that also transmits the dengue virus, is widely prevalent in India.

A majority of those infected with Zika either show no symptoms (up to 80 per cent) or just mild symptoms of fever, rash, conjunctivitis, body ache or joint pain.